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Tuesday, September 6, 2016

BARU BIAN’S 31 AUGUST MESSAGE: LET THE TRUTH RING OUT

31 AUGUST 2016

Once again, the country is abuzz with preparations for
the Merdeka Day celebrations, and Malaysians are being asked to fly the Jalur
Gemilang. This Merdeka day is a good occasion for all Sarawakians to look back
at our history, and to acknowledge the importance of having accurate knowledge
of Sarawak’s story through the last century or so, for it is only when we are
in possession of accurate facts that celebrations become meaningful.

In the living memory of all Sarawakians, 31 August has
been celebrated as Malaysia’s Independence Day each year. We were all caught in
the untruth that 31 August was our common Independence Day. The reason for this
is not to be found in any document – perhaps it was a way the politicians
thought would be best to foster integration between East and West. Sarawakians
swallowed this untruth for many years until the voice of a few good leaders
slowly grew into the strong and steady demands of many for historical truth to
be accepted and honoured, which is that the significant date for Sarawak and
Sabah is 16 September, when Malaysia was formed in 1963. To its credit, the
Selangor government under Pakatan Rakyat was the first to celebrate Malaysia
Day on 16 September in 2009. After that, in 2010, the Federal government
followed suit and declared 16 September as Malaysia Day and a public holiday.

The past 5 or 6 years have seen many half-truths and
untruths being exposed. In Sarawak, people have realised that contrary to what
we have been taught to believe, Sarawak and Sabah are not merely states within
the country of Malaysia, but that we are equal partners with Malaya in the
Federation of Malaysia. We have also asserted that there is no official
religion in Sarawak and that English is one of our official languages, besides
Bahasa Malaysia. We have begun to wake up to the fact that we had rights under
the MA63, but these rights had been eroded by the Federal Government over the
years, leaving us in the position we are in today, the poor and neglected
cousin across the sea.

The inescapable fact that history has proven is that
the truth cannot be suppressed, no matter how the authorities and the rich and powerful
try to do so. Just take our neighbouring countries Indonesia and the
Philippines as examples. Their past leaders, once revered and hailed as heroes,
have been unveiled as corrupt dictators and these countries are seeking the
repatriation of the money stolen from the people. In the Malaysian scene, the
horrific details of grand corruption on an unimaginable scale are being exposed
in the unfolding 1MDB saga. Murders, conspiracy plots, international financial
fraud – and yet those implicated in the scandal refuse to take responsibility,
and shamelessly continue to mislead the public. I am confident however, that
justice will prevail eventually as more and more Malaysians are calling for
truth and justice to be upheld.

In our reflections, we must also look inwards, and
take our share of the responsibility for the situation we are in. When Sabah
and Sarawak lost our veto power of 34% parliamentary seats, our MPs and Chief
Ministers let it happen. When the Federal Constitution was amended to make
Sabah and Sarawak mere states within Malaysia, we let it pass without
objection. When the Petroleum Development Act was enacted, putting us at a
major financial disadvantage, we did not protest. When the Territorial Seas
Bill was debated in 2012, we did not raise a squeak, resulting in the loss of our
sovereignty over the resources in our continental shelf. Our own
representatives failed to protect and secure our rights, whether through
ignorance or for political expediency.

With the realisation of what had gone on before, and
the appreciation of our history, we can start to right the wrongs that had been
perpetrated, and indeed, we have begun the process of reclaiming our rights.
This is a positive and exciting time for us, and I hope that we will continue
to appreciate the truths in our history while we mature as a nation.

As 31 August is celebrated throughout the country, let
us reflect on these truths, and let us never forget that the truth will
prevail, sooner or later. It is my hope that Sarawakians and Sabahans will
henceforth be free from historical and political blindness. Let us refuse to be
enslaved by ignorance any longer, for as the good book says - the truth will
set us free.

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PKR will bring the change that Sarawak desperately needs. We will return the trees, the lands and the rivers to the people. Corruption will stop. Taib will continue to hand over the State's wealth and resources to Putrajaya and the preferred elite. PKR, led by Baru Bian in Sarawak, will not steal. Thirty years is enough! The time is now! BERUBAHLAH!